Dance New Amsterdam Premieres SUPER NATURAL, 11/18-21

Dance New Amsterdam (DNA) hosts the world premiere of acclaimed choreographer Julian Barnett's newest evening-length commission, Super Natural, in its state-of-the-art 130-seat theater November 18 - 21, 2010. Super Natural is a work of abstract possibility that investigates the cohabitation of open and closed realms. Barnett, joined by Phina Pipia, Justin Ternullo, Jocelyn Tobias and musician Chris Powers, will embody the space, traversing specific states of being through both individual and collective memory and discovery.
 
Super Natural brings a distinctive concept to the stage, which enables the audience to place themselves within the work and identify with the performance and architecture of the theater space.
 
"In my choreographic journey, I tried to keep a window open so that the viewer could truly experience the choices we make and the repercussions that follow," says Julian Barnett, Artistic Director of Julian Barnett Project. "Since the inception of Super Natural, I was interested in creating alternative perspectives within DNA's unique theater space, potentially reorienting the audience and pushing ways in which the work itself could be viewed and perceived. I wanted to enhance the architecture of the space through movement and shape the viewers' experience by bisecting the audience and situating them so the most upstage point is an intersection of two walls. With DNA's support, this work took on new dimensions, allowing perspective and understanding of its context and creating a focal point in space within the structure itself."
 
Barnett most recently presented work at DNA in 2006 as part of the organization's 16-year-old performance series, In the Company of Men (ICOM), which was established in response to the devastating effects of the AIDS epidemic on the dance community and is a celebration of male choreographic voices and styles. Barnett has traversed DNA's multiple performance opportunities developed to support artistic advancement - from being presented in a multi-artist series, to becoming an instructor in the Modern Guest Artist series, to being a fully-produced and commissioned DNA PRESENTS Fall Season Artist. Super Natural is presented by Dance New Amsterdam and was developed and supported, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, celebrating 50 years of building strong, creative communities in New York State's 62 counties. Additional support provided by the Joyce SoHo Artist-in-Residence Program, creative and development residencies at Mt. Tremper Arts and Dragon's Egg, Center for Performance Research, and Triskelion Arts.
 
"Julian has highly developed cognitive and movement based skills, that, when employed to create work, translate into an evening of stunning artistry," says Catherine Peila, Executive Director. "He has an uncanny ability to construct Visual Environments through conceptual investigation. His works challenge viewers to step outside of their subjective reality and engage in a riveting artistic inquisition."
 
As part of DNA's ongoing Modern Guest Artist Series and in conjunction with his performances, Barnett will teach a two-hour workshop on November 1, 3 and 5 at 10:00am. In the series he will integrate personal and shared initiatives of improvisation and performance. Material will examine how perception can unlock physical imagination as well as blend conceptual and intuitive movement through composition.
 
Seeking to define his innate curiosity of undiscovered physical art, Julian Barnett began choreographing in 2005 and founded the Julian Barnett Project as a vehicle for his work.  Born in Tokyo and raised in California, he grew up breakdancing and playing the guitar and later studied at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. With more than 10 years in New York as a performer, choreographer and teacher, Barnett's choreographic works have been presented throughout North America, Europe and Asia and he has received numerous commissions to create new work.  Select commissions include: his duet FLOAT, which was acquired by the Juilliard School and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, as well as his evening-length work SOUND MEMORY, which was commissioned by Danspace Project and later highlighted as one of the "Best Dances of 2009" by Time Out New York.  As a performer he has had influential collaborations with Wally Cardona, Larry Keigwin, Johannes Wieland and others.  Julian is currently navigating between New York and Europe where he is attending the choreographic MA program, Dance Unlimited Arnhem, at the ArtEZ Institute in Arnhem, Netherlands.